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Title: Deep freeze / John Sandford.
Title: Surrender to the Highlander / Lynsay Sands.
Title: Twice bitten / Lynsay Sands.
Title: Twisted prey / John Sandford.
Title: The Highlander's promise / Lynsay Sands.
Title: The stakes / Ben Sanders.
Title: Snapshot / Brandon Sanderson.
Title: Bad blood / John Sandford.
Title: Vampires like it hot / Lynsay Sands.
Title: Edgedancer / Brandon Sanderson.
Title: Holy ghost / John Sandford.
Title: Claim the stars / Brandon Sanderson.
Title: Silken prey / John Sandford.
Title: All their minds in tandem / David Sanger.


text:
2019–20 Performances
Stéphane Denève is music director of the Brussels Philharmonic and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, principal guest conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra, and director of the Centre for Future Orchestral Repertoire (CffOR). He previously served as chief conductor of Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra (SWR) and music director of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
Mr. Denève regularly appears at major concert venues with the world's great orchestras and soloists. He has a special affinity for the music of his native France and is a passionate advocate for music of the 21st century. Committed to inspiring the next generation of musicians and listeners, he has worked regularly with young people at the Tanglewood Music Center, New World Symphony, Colburn School, European Union Youth Orchestra, and Music Academy of the West.
He is a frequent guest with leading orchestras such as Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, The Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre national de France, Vienna Symphony, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, and NHK Symphony Orchestra.
In the field of opera, Stéphane Denève has led productions at the Glyndebourne Festival, Milan's Teatro alla Scala, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Saito Kinen Festival, Gran Teatro de Liceu, Netherlands Opera, Bruzzels's Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Deutsche Oper Am Rhein, Opéra national de Paris, and London's Royal Opera, Covent Garden.
As a recording artist, Mr. Denève has won critical acclaim for his recordings of the works of Poulenc, Debussy, Ravel, Roussel, Franck, and Honegger. He is a triple winner of the Diapason d'Or of the Year, has been shortlisted for Gramophone's Artist of the Year Award, and has won the prize for symphonic music at the International Classical Music Awards. His most recent releases include a live recording of Honegger's Joan of Arc at the Stake with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and two discs of the works of Guillaume Connesson with the Brussels Philharmonic for Deutsche Grammophon.
Upcoming 2019-2020 Performances
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
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Anatomy 29
CD4-Positive T-LymphocytesT-LymphocytesB-LymphocytesCD8-Positive T-LymphocytesCell LineHematopoietic Stem CellsTumor Cells, CulturedCells, CulturedLymphocytesMonocytesDendritic CellsSpleenBone MarrowImmune SeraMacrophagesT-Lymphocytes, CytotoxicAntigen-Presenting CellsBone Marrow CellsHL-60 CellsThymus GlandClone CellsCell Line, TumorT-Lymphocytes, RegulatoryLymph NodesHybridomasKiller Cells, NaturalLeukocytes, MononuclearT-Lymphocytes, Helper-InducerT-Lymphocyte Subsets
Organisms 10
Mice, Inbred BALB CMice, SCIDHerpesvirus 4, HumanMice, TransgenicMice, Inbred C57BLMice, Inbred StrainsRabbitsSimian virus 40HIV-1Mice, Inbred CBA
Diseases 3
Burkitt LymphomaLymphomaHypersensitivity, Delayed
Chemicals and Drugs 157
AntigensAntigens, CDAntigens, CD8Antigens, NeoplasmAntigens, CD3Antigens, SurfaceAntigens, BacterialAntigens, CD38Antigens, CD34Antigens, CD19Antigens, CD40CD40 LigandAntigens, CD20Antigens, ViralAntigens, CD28Antigens, CD44Antigens, CD7Antigens, CD14Antigens, CD2Antigens, CD5Antigens, DifferentiationAntigens, CD1Antibodies, MonoclonalAntigens, CD56Antigens, Differentiation, T-LymphocyteADP-ribosyl CyclaseAntigens, Differentiation, MyelomonocyticAntigens, CD80Antigens, CD53Antigens, CD24Antigens, CD13Antigens, ProtozoanAntigens, CD86Antigens, Polyomavirus TransformingAntigens, CD95HLA AntigensAntigens, Differentiation, B-LymphocyteAntigens, CD45NAD+ NucleosidaseAntigens, FungalH-2 AntigensSialic Acid Binding Ig-like Lectin 3Antigens, HelminthReceptors, Antigen, T-CellAntigens, CD18Antigens, CD30Membrane GlycoproteinsEpitopesAntigens, CD9Carcinoembryonic AntigenHLA-DR AntigensAntigens, CD15Antigens, Viral, TumorAntigens, CD43Antigens, CD36Antigens, CD11Histocompatibility Antigens Class IIHistocompatibility AntigensAntigens, CD59Receptors, Antigen, B-CellProliferating Cell Nuclear AntigenAntigens, CD57Antigens, CD70Antigens, CD46Lectins, C-TypeAntigens, CD58Antigens, CD4Antigens, CD47Antigens, CD11bProstate-Specific AntigenAntigens, CD11cO AntigensHLA-A2 AntigenImmunoglobulin GAntigens, Tumor-Associated, CarbohydrateAntigens, CD55Antigens, CD31Histocompatibility Antigens Class IAntigens, CD81Antigens, CD137Recombinant ProteinsHLA-A AntigensReceptors, Interleukin-2Blood Group AntigensHepatitis B Surface AntigensAntigens, CD63Antigens, CD151Antigens, CD79HLA-D AntigensCD30 LigandN-Glycosyl HydrolasesReceptors, AntigenAntigens, CD11aRNA, MessengerHepatitis B AntigensImmune SeraRecombinant Fusion ProteinsReceptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-betaAntibodies, BacterialHLA-B AntigensMART-1 AntigenAntigens, CD147OvalbuminHIV AntigensCTLA-4 AntigenAntigens, CD82AntibodiesAntigens, Thy-1CytokinesAutoantigensEpstein-Barr Virus Nuclear AntigensInterleukin-2Immunoglobulin MBiological MarkersH-Y AntigenAntigens, CD146Antigens, HeterophileAntibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-DerivedEpitopes, T-LymphocyteInterferon-gammaAntigens, CD98Hepatitis B Core AntigensPeptidesAntigen-Antibody ComplexHLA-DQ AntigensAntibodies, ViralForssman AntigenAntigens, CD274GlycoproteinsAdjuvants, ImmunologicIsoantigensgp100 Melanoma AntigenAntibodies, ProtozoanAutoantibodiesKi-67 AntigenAntigens, T-IndependentAntigens, CD29Cancer VaccinesMembrane ProteinsCA-19-9 AntigenReceptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-deltaPeptide FragmentsLewis Blood-Group SystemMinor Histocompatibility AntigensAntibodies, HelminthImmunoglobulinsHepatitis B e AntigensInterleukin-4Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha SubunitHLA-B27 AntigenHLA-C AntigensVaccines, SyntheticAntigens, NuclearCA-125 AntigenHLA-B7 AntigenAntigens, CD164HLA-A1 Antigen
Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment 27
CD4-CD8 RatioFlow CytometryImmunophenotypingLymphocyte ActivationEnzyme-Linked Immunosorbent AssayImmunohistochemistryCD4 Lymphocyte CountCell SeparationTransfectionFluorescent Antibody TechniqueImmunizationImmunoenzyme TechniquesImmunodiffusionComplement Fixation TestsImmunoelectrophoresisAdoptive TransferSensitivity and SpecificityBlotting, WesternElectrophoresis, Polyacrylamide GelSerologic TestsHemagglutination TestsLymphocyte CountCytotoxicity Tests, ImmunologicVaccinationPolymerase Chain ReactionImmunoassayCloning, Molecular
Phenomena and Processes 31
CD4-CD8 RatioLymphocyte ActivationAmino Acid SequenceBase SequenceCD4 Lymphocyte CountCell DifferentiationCross ReactionsTransfectionAntibody SpecificityPhenotypeAntibody FormationAntigen-Antibody ReactionsCell DivisionImmunologic MemoryCytotoxicity, ImmunologicGene ExpressionImmune ToleranceImmunity, CellularMolecular WeightSignal TransductionTime FactorsMajor Histocompatibility ComplexDose-Response Relationship, ImmunologicSensitivity and SpecificityCell ProliferationLymphocyte CountProtein BindingCross-PrimingGene Expression RegulationBinding Sites, AntibodySpecies Specificity
Disciplines and Occupations 1
Information Science 3
Molecular Sequence DataAmino Acid SequenceBase Sequence
ImmunizationSensitivity and SpecificityVaccination
Expression of the activation antigen CD97 and its ligand CD55 in rheumatoid synovial tissue. (1/570)
OBJECTIVE: Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) express decay-accelerating factor (CD55) at high levels. Recently, it was found that CD55 is a specific cellular ligand for the 7-span transmembrane receptor CD97. The objective of this study was to define the expression of this receptor-ligand pair in synovial tissue (ST) to provide more insight into the interaction between FLS and surrounding cells. METHODS: Antibodies against CD97 and CD55 were used for immunohistologic analysis of synovial biopsy specimens from 16 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 15 patients with osteoarthritis (OA). In addition, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay system was used to determine the expression of soluble CD97 (sCD97) in synovial fluid (SF) from 30 patients with RA, 13 with OA, and 10 with reactive arthritis (ReA). RESULTS: In both RA and OA ST sections, strong expression of CD55 was confirmed on FLS in the intimal lining layer, where it was also found that all macrophages expressed CD97. The percentage of macrophages that expressed CD97 was lower in the synovial sublining (P = 0.005). The mean levels of sCD97 in SF were significantly higher in RA patients than in patients with OA or ReA (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that FLS are able to interact with macrophages via the CD97/CD55 receptor-ligand system. In this respect, the CD97/CD55 pair may account for the specific architecture of the intimal lining layer and may be of primary importance in maintaining and amplifying synovial inflammation. The specific increase in sCD97 levels in RA SF might be related to the presence of activated proteolytic systems or to the increase in synovial mass, rather than a consequence of local receptor-ligand interaction. (+info)
Decay accelerating factor (CD55): a target for cancer vaccines? (2/570)
The 791Tgp72 antigen has been used successfully as a target for tumor imaging and T-cell immunotherapy. We have characterized this antigen using the monoclonal antibody 791T/36 as a 72/66 kDa doublet. NH2-terminal protein sequencing of the two bands revealed identity with the complement regulatory protein CD55. Antibodies recognizing different domains of CD55 were also shown to bind to the purified 791Tgp72, although sequence analysis of the cDNA cloned from 791T tumor cells showed 100% homology with CD55 and transfection of the cDNA into antigen-negative CHO cells resulted in binding of 791T/36. This identifies the tumor antigen 791Tgp72 as CD55. This protein protects cells from complement attack; however, it can also transduce signals in lymphocytes and is a ligand for CD97, expressed by activated T cells. These results suggest that CD55 plays a role in signaling between the innate and adaptive immune responses. It is therefore a very intriguing target, because absence of the molecule makes the tumor cells susceptible to complement, whereas protective overexpression results in the antigen being a target for T-cell immunotherapy. (+info)
Complement activation and expression of membrane regulators in the middle ear mucosa in otitis media with effusion. (3/570)
The aetiopathogenesis of chronic otitis media with effusion (OME) in children is not yet fully understood. OME is characterized by metaplasia of the epithelium and accumulation of sticky, glue-like effusion in the middle ear containing different mediators of inflammation, including activation fragments of the complement system. Here we examined whether the fluid phase complement activation is reflected in the middle ear mucosa and how the mucosa is protected against the cytolytic activity of complement. Mucosal biopsies from 18 middle ears of children with a history of chronic OME were taken. The biopsies were analysed by immunofluorescence microscopy after staining for complement fragments iC3b/C3c, C3d and C9, and regulators membrane cofactor protein (MCP; CD46), decay-accelerating factor (DAF; CD55) and protectin (CD59). There was a strong staining for iC3b/C3c, and a weaker one for C3d and C9 on the surface of the middle ear epithelial cells of OME patients but not in controls without OME. MCP was expressed on the hyperplastic three to four outer cell layers of the epithelium, while CD59 was expressed throughout the middle ear mucosa. The results suggest a strong ongoing complement activation and consequent inflammation in the middle ear cavity. Unrestricted complement damage of the epithelial lining is prevented by the strong expression of MCP and CD59. (+info)
Identification of a human anti-CD55 single-chain Fv by subtractive panning of a phage library using tumor and nontumor cell lines. (4/570)
A large naive human single-chain (sc) Fv phage library was used to search for tumor-associated antigens by panning with a lung adenocarcinoma cell line, 1264, and counter-selecting with a nontumor bronchial epithelial cell line, BEAS-2B. After three rounds of subtractive panning, 239 of 673 clones analyzed bound selectively to 1264 tumor cells in a phage ELISA. Diversity analysis of these tumor-selective clones by BstNI fingerprinting and nucleotide sequencing revealed 14 distinct scFv fragments. Four clones bound selectively to 1264 over BEAS-2B cells when analyzed by a more discriminating flow cytometric assay using scFv. Moreover, these clones showed only limited cross-reactivity to several primary human cell lines. One clone, LU30, also cross-reacted strongly with the lung adenocarcinoma line, A549. The LU30 antigen was identified as decay-accelerating factor (CD55) by expression cloning from a 1264 cDNA library. The mean number of decay-accelerating factor molecules on the surface of 1264 and BEAS cells used for panning and counter-selection was estimated as 75,000 +/- 5,000 and 13,000 +/- 10,000, respectively. Thus, phage library panning combined with expression cloning permits identification of antibodies and their cognate antigens for proteins that are differentially expressed on the surface of distinct cell populations. (+info)
Decay-accelerating factor and cytoskeleton redistribution pattern in HeLa cells infected with recombinant Escherichia coli strains expressing Dr family of adhesins. (5/570)
Escherichia coli strains expressing Dr fimbriae are able to enter epithelial cells by interacting with a complement-regulatory protein, decay-accelerating factor. This model of bacterial internalization, with a well-characterized bacterial ligand and host receptor, provides a unique opportunity to investigate the early stages of invasion. We used immunofluorescence staining techniques to examine the distribution of receptor and cytoskeletal proteins in HeLa cells infected with E. coli recombinant strains that expressed Dr family of adhesins: Dr, Dr-II, F1845, AFA-I, and AFA-III. A major rearrangement of decay-accelerating factor was found at the adherence sites of recombinant strains expressing Dr, Dr-II, and F1845 adhesins. The changes in the distribution of receptor were significantly smaller on HeLa cells infected with E. coli bearing AFA-I or AFA-III afimbrial adhesins. Receptor aggregation was associated with the redistribution of cytoskeleton-associated proteins such as actin, alpha-actinin, ezrin, and occasionally tropomyosin. Purified Dr fimbriae coated on polystyrene beads were capable of triggering clustering of receptor and accumulating actin at the adhesion sites of beads to HeLa cells. Using scanning and transmission electron microscopic techniques, we have shown that beads coated with Dr fimbriae, as opposed to beads coated with bovine serum albumin, were enwrapped by cellular microvilli and ultimately internalized into HeLa cells. This indicates that interaction of Dr fimbriae with decay-accelerating factor is associated with redistribution of receptor and is sufficient to promote bacterial internalization. (+info)
Molecular and functional analysis of mouse decay accelerating factor (CD55). (6/570)
Molecular cloning of mouse decay accelerating factor (DAF; CD55) predicted two forms of the molecule, one transmembrane (TM) and the other glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored; these are encoded by separate genes termed Daf-GPI and Daf-TM. In the present study several additional isoforms of mouse DAF, generated by alternative splicing from these genes, are described. Northern-blot analysis of RNA and reverse transcriptase-PCR from various tissues indicated that spleen and testis expressed high levels of DAF, which comprised several species. These species were cloned and sequence analysis revealed various novel forms in addition to those previously reported. Two novel forms were derived from the Daf-TM gene but the transmembrane sequence defined previously was replaced by a unique GPI-anchor addition sequence; one clone also had part of the serine/threonine/proline (STP) region deleted. A third clone, encoding a transmembrane protein, was also derived from this gene but the entire STP region was deleted. A fourth clone, derived from the Daf-GPI gene, contained a novel C-terminal sequence, suggestive of a secreted form of the protein. Two DAF cDNAs (TM and GPI-anchored) were stably expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells. When these cells were attacked with mouse or rat complement and analysed for C3b deposition, DAF-transfected cells had greatly reduced C3b deposition compared with controls. Transfection with DAF also conferred protection from complement in a cell-lysis assay, and a soluble, recombinant form of mouse DAF inhibited complement in a haemolytic assay. (+info)
N-Glycans mediate the apical sorting of a GPI-anchored, raft-associated protein in Madin-Darby canine kidney cells. (7/570)
Glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI)- anchored proteins are preferentially transported to the apical cell surface of polarized Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. It has been assumed that the GPI anchor itself acts as an apical determinant by its interaction with sphingolipid-cholesterol rafts. We modified the rat growth hormone (rGH), an unglycosylated, unpolarized secreted protein, into a GPI-anchored protein and analyzed its surface delivery in polarized MDCK cells. The addition of a GPI anchor to rGH did not lead to an increase in apical delivery of the protein. However, addition of N-glycans to GPI-anchored rGH resulted in predominant apical delivery, suggesting that N-glycans act as apical sorting signals on GPI-anchored proteins as they do on transmembrane and secretory proteins. In contrast to the GPI-anchored rGH, a transmembrane form of rGH which was not raft-associated accumulated intracellularly. Addition of N-glycans to this chimeric protein prevented intracellular accumulation and led to apical delivery. (+info)
Picornavirus receptor down-regulation by plasminogen activator inhibitor type 2. (8/570)
Therapeutic interference with virus-cell surface receptor interactions represents a viable antiviral strategy. Here we demonstrate that cytoplasmic expression of the serine protease inhibitor (serpin), plasminogen activator inhibitor type 2 (PAI-2), affords a high level of protection from lytic infection by multiple human picornaviruses. The antiviral action of PAI-2 was mediated primarily through transcriptional down-regulation of the following virus receptors: intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1, a cellular receptor for the major group of rhinoviruses), decay-accelerating factor (a cellular receptor for echoviruses and coxsackieviruses), and to a lesser extent the coxsackie-adenovirus receptor protein (a cellular receptor for group B coxsackieviruses and group C adenoviruses). Expression of related cell surface receptors, including membrane cofactor protein and the poliovirus receptor, remained unaffected. These findings suggest that PAI-2 and/or related serpins may form the basis of novel antiviral strategies against picornavirus infections and also therapeutic interventions against ICAM-1-mediated respiratory inflammation. (+info)


text:
Save Savannah, get money: Preserving historic profits can generate tax credits
DANIEL ROWE
Few things are more discouraging to see in a city than run-down buildings and once-vibrant neighborhoods in a state of disrepair. It gives visitors a sense that the city, or at least that section of it, is in decline and no longer relevant.
More importantly, it gives residents of that neighborhood a feeling of hopelessness.
The reluctance of investors or legislatures to allocate resources toward restoration of a neighborhood's historic properties creates the perception that the neighborhood is no longer viable.
In addition to being fire hazards and safety concerns, decaying structures attract crime, contribute to blight and perpetuate a cycle of despair.
Contrast this to a cycle of hope when new businesses, residences and community buildings are born from the shambles of aging properties through historic rehabilitation efforts.
Cities that promote this approach are able to maintain a charm and character that attract visitors and improve residents' quality of life. Recognizing the economic and cultural significance of rehabilitating historic structures, the federal government decided to offer incentives builders and investors to stimulate the growth of rehabilitation projects.
As usual, the tax code was the tool of choice for this stimulus, and in 1976 a rehabilitation tax credit was passed into law.
A quarter-century later, Georgia followed suit and established a state tax credit program. The federal program as it exists today was established through the Tax Reform Act of 1986. Both the federal and state programs give building owners valuable tax credits in exchange for preserving and rehabilitating historically significant properties.
As the oldest city in Georgia, Savannah has clear historic significance, as do its buildings. This translates into countless opportunities for federal and state tax credits in connection with major renovation of Savannah properties.
A short walk around Savannah presents hundreds of examples of modern and efficient houses, apartments, university buildings, restaurants and commercial buildings that have been historically preserved and repurposed. In this land of opportunity, it is important to understand the tax benefits that can be realized through historic preservation and to have a basic idea of the steps to follow to obtain the credit.
The tax credits can be significant enough to make a project economically feasible by helping to defray construction costs or attract investors to the project. At a minimum they provide a financial bonus to the owner who undertakes a qualified rehabilitation project.
The federal credit amounts to 20 percent of the qualified rehabilitation expenditures on any certified historic structure. The Georgia credit is generally 25 percent of the qualified rehabilitation expenditures or 30 percent if the property is located in a specific target area.
To put this in perspective, a qualified rehabilitation project that costs $100,000 may generate $20,000 of federal and $30,000 of Georgia tax credits. Since a credit is a dollar-for-dollar reduction of tax, this amounts to a 50 percent return on investment in tax credits alone.
To qualify for the 20 percent federal credit, four general requirements must be met:
1) The building must be listed in the National Register of Historic Places or be certified as contributing to the significance of a registered historic district.
2) The rehabilitation must be substantial, meaning the project costs exceed the greater of $5,000 or the building's adjusted basis.
3) The work must be done in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation.
4) The building must be used in a trade or business (including rental property).
Once these requirements are met, the credit can be claimed based on all qualified expenditures incurred before, during and after a specified measuring period. The credit is claimed on IRS form 3468 with the property owner's tax return, generally for the tax year in which the rehabilitated building is placed in service.
The Georgia tax credit also has three general requirements:
1) The building must be listed in the Georgia Register of Historic Places or certified by the Department of Natural Resources as contributing to the historic significance of a Georgia Register Historic District.
2) The rehabilitation costs must exceed a specific threshold. For business properties this is the greater of $5,000 or the adjusted basis of the property.
3) DNR must certify that the improvements are consistent with their Standards for Rehabilitation.
Unlike the federal credit, a personal residence can qualify for the Georgia tax credit. A homeowner doing substantial renovation may overlook this.
To ensure successful realization of the available tax credits, the following steps should be followed before beginning the rehabilitation work:
1) Consult with a tax adviser to determine whether the potential credits will be relevant to your tax situation.
2) Determine whether your project meets the substantial rehabilitation test and the other requirements outlined above.
3) Apply for certification from the National Park Service regarding the historic significance of the property and the proposed rehabilitation work.
4) Apply for similar preliminary certification from the Georgia DNR.
Repurposing historic properties continues the cycle of life, resurrecting neglected or unused structures into vibrant, functional components of the community.
Even if the intrinsic societal benefits of rehabilitation are not the owner's motivation for renovating an old building, they should still be aware of the tax benefits that await them.
A public awareness of these credits helps ensure builders, developers and owners pursue them and leave us with a city in constant vitality.
Daniel Rowe is a tax manager at Deemer Dana and Froehle LLP. Contact him at 912-238-1001 or drowe@ddfcpas.com.


Do you have a child who hates to write? Someone who wants nothing to do with anything that has to do with writing? Well, that was Moe Man. Notice the word "was". We tried out a new product from WriteShop. We used the WriteShop Junior: Book E Set.
WriteShop Junior: Book E Set is recommended for 4th and 5th graders, but can also be used for 6th and 7th graders who haven't had the best of writing practice before. We used the Print Teacher Guide ($45.95), Junior Activity Guide (Print $45.95), Junior Writer's Notebook PDF ($3.50) and the Junior Time Saver Pack in Print ($14.95). The Time Saver Pack and the Writer's Notebook are optional items, but they make it that much more fun to use!
I think I may have been more excited than Moe Man to get this item for review. Like I said, he didn't like to write. Reading? Yeah he loves it, but to try and write it out? Not for him. We decided to use this program a minimum of 3 days a week, while using it up to 5 days a week with no problems. There are 10 sections to this Level of the WriteShop Junior program. These sections include: Fables, Humor, Adventure, Science Fiction, Mystery, Poetry/Shape Poems, Personal Narrative, Descriptive Narrative, Book Report/Responding to Literature and Expository Writing: Nonfiction Report. Using a three day a week plan, it would take 3 weeks to finish each lesson, stretching this program to last 30 weeks.
Now those are fun topics to learn about, but you get to practice writing within these topics in a non-scary way. Working on Journal prompts and playing games help even the most reluctant writer open up and try. Moe Man had fun telling me what to write instead of doing it himself. It was so fun for me to see that he loved narrating a story instead of writing it down.
Moe Man is a hands on learner. If he can make something, he has more fun with it. WriteShop has the Fold-N-Go Grammar Pack helps him with this. Cutting and gluing, while still filling out answers to the questions make it easy for him to remember what he learned. It is also very helpful for us to pull out the file folders with the sections that he needs review on instead of trying to find the section in a book someplace.
Each lesson is broken down into different sections. These remain ultimately the same throughout each lesson. They may be slightly different, but the idea is there. Out of all the sections, Moe Man loved the Model and Teach section. This is where he could watch me as I struggled to think of different ideas. Or even just watching me think about what I had to write and use my eraser to fix my mistakes. This made him open up more and realize he is not the only one who has a hard time with all of the steps of writing.
While learning of the different styles of writing, WriteShop has a wonderful book list of books that go with that style of writing. It is so fun to read these different styles while we are learning about them.
You know, I have heard a lot of good about WriteShop and was excited to try them. I was surprised by how good they really were! How well they fit for Moe Man. To take a child who despised writing and make him into a child who will actually try now…to me, that is HUGE! Whether or not your child struggles with writing or not, I would recommend checking out WriteShop and all they have to offer! We love this level and I am sure there is a level that would work for you!
Stop by and check out WriteShop on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Google+. Tell them I sent you! Also, stop by the other 50+ reviewers and find the level that works for you!


The water cycle is the movement of water through the environment... like how it turns into rain and falls down into the rivers, lakes and oceans. Then it rises back up again into the clouds.
What is the state of water when it's heated and rises in the air?
What is the state of water when it changes from a gas into a liquid?
What is the state of water when it's falling down from the sky?


The Parents, Teachers and Friends Association is an important part of the Cheltenham Primary School community. It encourages the participation of all parents in the general life of the school as well as the education of their children. It is also the body that brings together various elements of the school community – parents, teachers and 'friends' (grandparents, special friends, the local community, etc.) to work as a coordinated group and contribute to the school through fundraising activities, social events and much more.
The PTFA provides an opportunity to be involved at a time and in a way that suits you, an opportunity to become more familiar with the school and get to know other families, friendship; and a sense of satisfaction for a job well done. You can assist the PTFA with your enthusiasm, ideas and time.
The PTFA, which is governed by its own Constitution, meets monthly. Some of our activities have included Mothers' and Fathers' Day stalls and an Easter and Christmas Raffle. Membership of the PTFA is open to all parents, staff and friends via an application form available from the Office.
Do you want to meet other parents and teachers, offer assistance, become an active member of our school community or help fundraise in a relaxed, informal setting?
Find your niche within our association!
We alternate monthly meetings during Term time between afternoon and evening sessions to maximise the cross-section of viewpoints and allow all to access this community.


text:
package com.gs.collections.impl.lazy;

import java.util.Iterator;

import com.gs.collections.api.RichIterable;
import com.gs.collections.api.block.procedure.Procedure;
import com.gs.collections.impl.lazy.iterator.ChunkIterator;
import com.gs.collections.impl.utility.internal.IterableIterate;
import net.jcip.annotations.Immutable;

/**
 * A ChunkIterable is an iterable that partitions a source iterable into fixed size chunks as it iterates.
 */
@Immutable
public class ChunkIterable<T>
        extends AbstractLazyIterable<RichIterable<T>>
{
    private final Iterable<T> iterable;
    private final int size;

    public ChunkIterable(Iterable<T> iterable, int size)
    {
        if (size <= 0)
        {
            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Size for groups must be positive but was: " + size);
        }

        this.iterable = iterable;
        this.size = size;
    }

    public Iterator<RichIterable<T>> iterator()
    {
        return new ChunkIterator<T>(this.iterable, this.size);
    }

    public void each(Procedure<? super RichIterable<T>> procedure)
    {
        IterableIterate.forEach(this, procedure);
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


5 Responses to "Flying Free of Guilt or Everyone Has Their Own Story"
Thank you for all of your writing. I have admired & adored you ever since you spoke at a home school meeting I attended at Northland Church in Longwood. Thank you for allowing God to use you as He does.
love you Mardy. you are in my prayers and have been.
I am amazed how you are comforting others with the comfort that you have been comforted with.


text:
Q: Difference between the content of a struct pointer and of a int pointer (or other variable types) (c/c++)? As the question says. Is there some difference between the content of them?
Why do we have to declare the variable type before the pointer ????
Does the c process them differently?
Exemple:
typedef struct{
    int a;
    char b;
} some_st;

int main(){
    some_st *p;
    int *q;
}

Just a note: I came up with this question after work with linked lists.
Thank you for reading and answering.

A: the pointers are the same size, but one points to an int and the other one to a struct. The reason to declare them accordingly is that the compiler can tell you when you use them incorrectly.
if you think you're above that, you can use void* for all your pointers, or use a language with even less type checking.

A: C doesn't define how pointers are represented.
Pointers of different types may have different sizes, different alignments requirements and different bit representaion.
For example this is a completely valid result of an implementation:
sizeof( int* ) != sizeof( long* )

as is :
sizeof( int* ) != sizeof( some_st* )

A: There is no difference in the size or "structure" of the pointer itself, however the declaration does affect two things:

*

*It tells the compiler how to handle the value being pointed to (int or struct or whatever) - that is, what to assume the pointed type is.

*The way pointer arithmetic is being performed. That is what memory location ptr++ or ptr[4] evaluates to. For example, Assuming the struct has, say 12 bytes size, ptr++ will result in the address being incremented by at least 12.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Masks of Destiny
To Serve Evil
Realm of Rhainne
Creature Crypt
Non-Player Characters
Optional Rules
Places & Traps
Character Sheets (Download)
Races, Classes, & Prestige Classes
Player Resources – General
Campaign Journal – Week 10 – Two Storms Weathered
by D&D Gamer | Realm of Rhainne |
Daniella's darkness spell enabled Ogutu to steer the Porpoise away from the first of the attacking ships, but the second came steadily into a close fight and made as if to board. The two foes closed to within thirty feet, and arrows began to fly; the magical cannons spouted flame. However, even without Daniella's withering fire, the party was able to make life incredibly difficult for the assailants. Lucia cast an entangle spell on the deck of their ship, leaving five of the enemy encased in thick and groping vines. Meanwhile, Daniella was using one of the smaller port-side cannons to dazzle the men into confusion with dancing lights. Anubis mounted the mainmast of the Porpoise and tried to jump valiantly from a spar to the deck of the opposing ship, but he slipped and plunged into the sea instead. Fortunately, Bill Deagan's poisoned arrows were true, and the weakened enemy captain decided that he'd had enough of the Porpoise after falling victim to two of the rogue's shots; the ship turned away and made for some safe harbor. Ogutu praised all the party had done, and the ship's crew cheered Daniella's name as the Porpoise headed westeward away from the battle and the storm.
Unfortunately, Ogutu and Anubis knew that they could not outrace the enormous typhoon for long; they needed to head for shelter as soon as possible. Normally a ship is always safer weathering a storm at sea than in port, but this monster was an exception to the rule. And they would need more than just a normal port to protect them. There were only two places that Ogutu knew of where they could truly be safe from the storm. Alneshaug, the pirate city, embedded in the heart of a craggy island to the north, or a smuggler's cave in southeastern Goin that Ogutu had used as a hideout many years ago. Both sites had their advantages and disadvantages. Alneshaug was a tremendously dangerous place, and their ability to make landfall would depend on deception. However, Ogutu could not be sure that the smuggler's cave in Goin existed anymore. If they made for the cave and it was destroyed or inaccessible, the ship's fate would be sealed. After much discussion the group decided that Alneshaug was just too risky. They would have to pray that the cave was intact – for if it was, it would be ten times safer than an island of cutthroats with no escape.
For three days and nights, the Porpoise sailed west on the strong winds of the storm's front edge. Finally they reached the rocky shores of Goin, and Ogutu gingerly navigated between the many sharp undersea cliffs that were capable of tearing the hull to ribbons. Soon they caught sight of a crevasse, and the Porpoise furled sails, brought down its topmasts, and rowed into a cave hidden in the high cliffs. The cave was vast, and inside was a beach many hundred yards wide. Ogutu sent longboats ashore and the party accompanied their captain in his launch. As the sailors made camp, the party decided to explore the high-walled cavern.
The shore was littered with the bones of many animals and fish, but other than rock and debris, the cave seemed fairly uninteresting. Lucia did spot a fresh footprint that seemed to her to belong to an ogre, and soon the group returned to camp to report the possible presence of the large creatures to Freddy Ogutu. Ogutu looked grave but felt sure that, properly armed, his men could dispose of any ogre. Before they could speak for long, however, the conversation was interrupted by a disturbance north of the camp. Apparently three or four of the men had gone off with a beautiful woman who claimed to be running a brothel inside a smaller cave within the cavern. This news struck the party as extremely odd and grave, and they returned to confer with Ogutu once again. Ogutu said that the idea of a brothel in these caves seemed odd, but with a sufficiently high number of sailors coming through, it just might be possible. He assured the party that his men had been instructed to be on guard for ogres and not to go through the archway to the deeper cave.
The party volunteered to search for the men who had wandered off, and Ogutu agreed to send two of his fighting men with them to explore the cave further. Slowly the group approached the cave entrance, and they were surprised to find the archway to be finely constructed of a different kind of rock than made up the rest of the cave. The group saw words inscribed upon the archway, which Daniella identified as perhaps a dialect of Old Draconic far older than she had ever seen. She recognized only one word as a cognate of the Old Draconic word for 'womb'. They quickly returned to the camp to ask Ogutu if he rememberd the archway from his time here before, to which he replied that he did not. Whether this was because the cave was blocked before or his memory simply failed him, he could not say.
Slowly the group passed through the archway, and they were in a finely constructed hallway, the walls of which had mostly crumbled with age. Some parts of the walls remained, however, and showed finely cut reliefs depicting idyllic woodland scenes, with dryads and naiads and pixies and other sylvan creatures frolicking happily. After venturing into the hallway some sixty feet or so, a cave-in blocked the primary path of the hall. However, to their left someone had dug a detour through to a natural limestone cavern. They entered the cavern and proceeded up two sets of steep grades, separated by landings, and lit by torch stands. Eventually this brought them to a place where the cave narrowed to only five feet in width, and the walls of this portion of the cave were worn smooth and had a good deal of long thick hair rubbed into them. Lucia identified the hair as belonging to a large humanoid, most likely an ogre.
The group carefully passed through this space, and made their way into a three-way fork in the cave. The group decided to try the left fork first, and as they began their way down that passage, they distinctly heard snoring. Soon the sounds of a large creature grumbling made them back up, and a large ogre emerged from the passage. The group immediately took up fighting positions, and the ogre charged them.
He first landed a blow on Lucia which was quite severe. The druidess was much taken aback, and retreated to the rear of the party to heal herself. Soon Anubis and Daniella had felled the angry beast with a vicious sword slice and several balls of energy, but not before he managed to get in a terrible blow on Daniella as well, knocking her against the wall of the cave.
Campaign Journal – Week 15 – Plan of Attack
Campaign Journal – Week 9 – Vickers' Strange Errand
Campaign Journal – Week 8 – Practice Fire
Campaign Journal – Week 12 – Queens, Peers, and Kingpins
Campaign Journal – Week 2- A Wedding With a Price
Campaign Journal – Week 3 – The Marvey Road
Campaign Journal – Week 13 – Surviving the Cistern
Campaign Journal – Week 7 – Assault on the Warehouse
Campaign Journal – Week 14 – A Drowning at Haleon
Fun Stories Around the Internet
D&D Adventure
Layonara


Folks, Ina makes a mean Carrot and Pineapple Cake. It is everything you'd hope for in a carrot cake. Moist, flavorful and not greasy, which is a risk when it comes to carrot cakes as they typically call for oil. The cream cheese frosting is rich and not overly sweet. Truth be told, we added a bit of extra confectioners' sugar (aka powdered sugar) to sweeten it up slightly.
Carrot cake lovers need to try out this recipe. It is truly one of the best that I've had. If you aren't the baking type, reach out to a friend or family member who enjoys baking and request it for your next gathering. For a pretty garnish, which we either forgot or skipped, top with freshly diced (small) pineapple pieces.
For the decoration: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
this cake looks delicious. i was attracted to it because it appears as on layer, however the directions are for two 8in pans. can this be made in a 9 x 13 in pan, and what would the cooking time be?


BMW Performance Tuning is where the fun begins! We all know that owning a BMW in Calgary makes us stand out more than the average joe... but how do you stand out among other BMW owners? How about by customizing your bimmer with some rare body kits or cranking the horsepower up while reducing the amount of fuel required to do so? Sound too good to be true? It's not. Ask us about what we can do for your BMW and we'll blow your mind!


People often stop to stare at the American flag displayed in the Nancy Hoffman Gallery in New York City. With its vibrant red, white and blue circles, the flag itself is a showstopper, but it isn't until onlookers step closer that they discover the stars and stripe were created using 1,443 birth control pills.
Part of Oakland artist Michele Pred's new series on reproductive rights, the flag, like her other works, uses unconventional materials to encourage people to react and comment on a variety of contemporary social issues. An East Bay native and mother of a 3-year-old daughter, Pred has created hundreds of distinctive art pieces that have been shown throughout the world.
Born in San Francisco and raised in Berkeley and Stockholm, Pred remembers lively conversations around the family dinner table with her father, the late Allan Pred, a renowned American geographer and professor at University of California, Berkeley.
"His politics and ideas definitely influenced my artwork," Pred says. Although she initially decided to major in photography, Pred fell in love with art as a student at the California College of the Arts in Oakland where she now teaches.
At CCA, Pred learned to use a variety of materials to create works of art.
After many months of cajoling, Pred convinced airport security into allowing her to access the many ownerless items, including corkscrews, knitting needles, scissors and cigarette lighters. She transformed them into a series of artworks entitled Confiscated: Homeland Security.
Pred says her art begins with an idea and is followed by finding the proper materials, a chore which often amounts to a scavenger hunt, as in the case of the birth control pills where Pred put out requests on social media asking for expired and unwanted pills.
Michele Pred's work can be viewed online at www.michelepred.com and at the Jack Fischer Gallery, 49 Geary St., Suite 418, San Francisco, www.jackfischergallery.com, or in New York at the Nancy Hoffman Gallery, www.nancyhoffmangallery.com. She has a solo exhibition of her Homeland Security series — (In)Security — planned Nov. 13–Dec. 14 at the Thompson Art Gallery at San Jose State University.


text:
Tag: Obama Administration
Tom Perez doesn't get it: listening to people is not a strategy to rebuild the Democratic Party
In the third paragraph of the statement on the front page of Tom Perez's DNC chair campaign website, this is literally the first sentence of the third paragraph of Perez's statement:
But most of all, we need to listen.
Really? Listening is what would be Perez's top priority if elected DNC chair? Give me a break! If listening was the most important skill set to being a successful NASCAR driver, Tom Perez would be a multi-time Daytona 500 winner. Of course, Tom Perez isn't a NASCAR driver, and listening is not the most important skill set to being a successful NASCAR driver. The same principle applies to political party management. I've always been of the belief that who you listen to is more important than whether or not you listen to anybody. Tom Perez has made a living listening to President Obama and his corporate neoliberal political allies promote a globalist, pro-free trade economic agenda that destroyed rural and blue-collar America, cost America millions of jobs, and helped Donald Trump win the presidency. I strongly fear that Perez would listen to the same political professional class that destroyed the Democratic Party under Obama's watch if elected DNC chair.
Real leaders fight for what they believe in. Keith Ellison is a fighter. While Tom Perez and other Obama Administration officials were busy trying to convince Members of Congress to approve of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal (or, as I like to call it, Obama's economic surrender to Victor Charlie), Keith called out the Obama cabinet for supporting horrendous trade deals with foreign countries. Keith took on the Obama cabinet, fought to stop the TPP, and won!
Now, Obama's allies, still butthurt over TPP being effectively rejected by the American people, are now leading the opposition to Keith Ellison's campaign for DNC chair. Keith defeated the Obama Administration once before, and, although I don't think that he'll do it again, I sure hope he does! We need a Democratic party that is less concerned about chasing suburban women and more interested in fighting for policies designed to rebuild America's middle class.
Sunday, December 25, 2016 Sunday, December 25, 2016
Democratic National Committee Chairperson
DNC Chair
political skill
U.S. Labor Secretary
US-DemChair
Scott Walker sends out pro-Hillary tweet
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is a Republican. Normally, I don't have to emphasize that, given that he is infamous for his signing of legislation that gutted labor unions in Wisconsin and crippled his state's economy, but I am emphasizing that he is a Republican because he recently sent out a Tweet asking people who approve of the job that President Barack Obama is doing to vote for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton:
If you like the past 8 years, vote @HillaryClinton. pic.twitter.com/cQEtIgPsEz
— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) November 1, 2016
It's been slightly over half a day since Walker sent out that tweet, and, as of the publishing of this blog post, he has not yet deleted it.
While Walker claims to be a Donald Trump supporter and has usually acted like one, he seemingly has no problem with sending out a tweet asking people to vote for Hillary Clinton. That is the political equivalent of an own goal, if there ever was one.
Tuesday, November 1, 2016 Tuesday, November 1, 2016
asking people to vote
Obama Administration bullying, and even bribing, businesses to stop criticizing TPP
The Obama Administration is doing everything possible to silence businesses and business leaders who oppose free-trade giveaways like the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). In at least one documented instance (sources here, here, here, and below), the Obama Administration offered serious consideration for a Defense Department contract to a company if the company would quit publicly criticizing the TPP:
Email courtesy of Fight for the Future
New Balance, which manufacturers some of their sneakers in the United States, was offered serious consideration for a Defense Department contract to manufacture athletic shoes for members of the U.S. Armed Forces if New Balance executives shut up about how TPP would force companies like New Balance to compete with companies that manufacture in countries like Vietnam, whose minimum wage is the equivalent of 65¢/hour. Prior to being offered consideration for the contract, New Balance officials had been critical of TPP, but they backed off of their criticism of the TPP once the Defense Department considered them for a contract. Now, New Balance officials are renewing their fight against the TPP after they alleged that the Pentagon is intentionally delaying the purchase of shoes from New Balance.
If this is even remotely true, then this represents the kind of corrupt, Chicago-style machine politics that has no place anywhere in America.
Monday, April 18, 2016 Monday, April 18, 2016
federal contract
U.S. Armed Forces
Obama Administration now trying to sabotage Bernie Sanders campaign
I've made no bones about how much I've come to despise the Obama Administration. In particular, President Obama has tried to cut Social Security benefits to retirees, and he's fought to destroy American sovereignty by enacting free trade agreements that allow foreign countries to steal our jobs.
Now, the Obama Administration has really gone too far by blocking internet access to the official Bernie Sanders campaign website on military computers. This has been confirmed by multiple members of the U.S. Armed Forces and a group representing pro-Bernie veterans. For the Obama White House to block the campaign website of a presidential candidate on military computers is highly undemocratic and an impeachable offense for President Obama and Defense Secretary Ashton Carter. I am calling for President Obama to issue an executive order requiring the Defense Department to allow access to all presidential and downballot campaign websites on military computers. Individual members of our Armed Forces can support any presidential candidate they want, but I will not tolerate political sabotage of any kind.
Interestingly, active-duty Armed Forces members can access the Hillary Clinton (D) and Donald Trump (R) campaign websites just fine. I think we know who Obama is backing…
Monday, December 21, 2015 Monday, December 21, 2015
military computers
military internet
political sabotage
U.S. Defense Department


text:
next character >
next character (alphabetically) >
< previous character
< previous character (alphabetically)
Religion: not determined yet
Name: Vern
Classification: supporting character
Publisher(s):
First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1) #556 (June 2008): "The Last Nameless Day"
Creators: Zeb Wells, Chris Bachalo, Tim Townsend
Number of Appearances: 2
Enemy of: Professor Benjamin Rabin, Wayeb
Ally: Spider-Man
Occupation: homeless
Note: helped Spider-Man drive off evil Mayan god Wayep
This character is in the following story which has been indexed by this website:
The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1) #556 (June 2008): "The Last Nameless Day"
Suggested links for further research about this character:
- http://www.marvunapp.com/master/vevh.htm
- http://www.marvunapp.com/master/watwaz.htm
- https://www.comics.org/issue/514459/
- http://comicbookdb.com/issue.php?ID=124332


text:
package io.github.dunwu.javaee.filter;

import java.io.FileInputStream;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.Properties;

import javax.servlet.FilterChain;
import javax.servlet.FilterConfig;
import javax.servlet.ServletException;
import javax.servlet.ServletRequest;
import javax.servlet.ServletResponse;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;

import io.github.dunwu.javaee.filter.exception.AccountException;

/**
 * @author Zhang Peng
 * @date 2017/3/27.
 */
public class PrivilegeFilter extends MyFilter {

	private Properties pp = new Properties();

	@Override
	public void init(FilterConfig config) throws ServletException {

		// 从 初始化参数 中获取权 限配置文件 的位置
		String file = config.getInitParameter("file");
		String realPath = config.getServletContext().getRealPath(file);
		try {
			pp.load(new FileInputStream(realPath));
		} catch (Exception e) {
			config.getServletContext().log("读取权限控制文件失败。", e);
		}
	}

	@Override
	public void doFilter(ServletRequest req, ServletResponse res, FilterChain chain)
			throws IOException, ServletException {

		logger.info("{} 开始做过滤处理", this.getClass().getName());

		HttpServletRequest request = (HttpServletRequest) req;

		// 获取访问的路径,例如:admin.jsp
		String requestURI = request.getRequestURI().replace(request.getContextPath() + "/", "");

		// 获取 action 参数,例如:add
		String action = req.getParameter("action");
		action = action == null ? "" : action;

		// 拼接成 URI。例如:log.do?action=list
		String uri = requestURI + "?action=" + action;

		// 从 session 中获取用户权限角色。
		String role = (String) request.getSession(true).getAttribute("role");
		role = role == null ? "guest" : role;

		boolean authentificated = false;
		// 开始检查该用户角色是否有权限访问 uri
		for (Object obj : pp.keySet()) {
			String key = ((String) obj);
			// 使用正则表达式验证 需要将 ? . 替换一下,并将通配符 * 处理一下
			if (uri.matches(key.replace("?", "\\?").replace(".", "\\.").replace("*", ".*"))) {
				// 如果 role 匹配
				if (role.equals(pp.get(key))) {
					authentificated = true;
					break;
				}
			}
		}
		if (!authentificated) {
			throw new RuntimeException(new AccountException("您无权访问该页面。请以合适的身份登陆后查看。"));
		}
		// 继续运行
		chain.doFilter(req, res);
	}

	@Override
	public void destroy() {
		pp = null;
	}
}


text:
A Man Named Lew
Robert Alan Ward Blog 0	0
One of the most colorful figures of 19th century America, and an unsung hero of the American civil war was a general whose first name was Lew. Unfairly maligned for bringing his division late to the battlefield at Shiloh, he was relegated to a quiet sector in Maryland, where his suspect capabilities were thought less likely to hinder the Union cause. Yet there in July, 1864 he suddenly found himself in the path of 35,000 Confederate soldiers bearing down on a carelessly undefended Washington. He telegraphed Washington of the danger. Then, acting without orders, he positioned his division of 5,800 mostly inexperienced soldiers to block the path of the onrushing Confederates for as long as possible. His outnumbered division held for two days before it was routed, but the two days gained were enough for Washington to be reinforced. Frustrated, Confederate General Jubal Early was forced to turn his men around and go home. Had his force taken Washington that summer, the Confederacy may well have gained its independence.
But as important as was the Battle of Monocracy, Lew is much better known for something else. The story begins in his home state of Indiana during his childhood in the 1830s. Every December he heard the story of the birth of Christ. As have been millions of other children through the ages, he was enthralled. To him the tale of the birth of Christ was the greatest story in the whole world.
But when Lew grew to manhood he dropped out of church and turned to other things. As a young officer he fought in the Mexican War. He also turned his pen to writing, publishing a couple of moderately successful novels. Remembering his childhood wonder of the story of Christ's birth, he decided in 1875 to write a tale of the wise men who came from the east to worship the Christ child.
"At the time, speaking candidly, I was not in the least influenced by religious sentiment. I had no convictions about God or Christ. I neither believed nor disbelieved in them."
Yet as he got into the project he later wrote, "I found myself writing reverentially, and frequently with awe." Upon finishing the short story, he shoved it into a desk drawer and forgot about it.
One year later he had a chance meeting with another prominent American that forever changed his life. Colonel Robert Ingersoll had also been a Civil War hero. He was then known as America's foremost orator and most militant agnostic. He traveled from city to city, drawing huge crowds to hear his lectures or debates, all purposed to destroy the Christian faith. It was commonly acknowledged that in debate he usually got the better of his opponents.
The two met on a train while traveling and spoke about the Christian faith for hours in Ingersoll's sleeper berth. Lew left his meeting with Ingersoll chagrined at his ignorance of Christianity and resolved to rectify it. But how? He would begin studying the Bible, especially the four gospels.
"But such a study appeared to me to be a dry venture. Was there no way to make it the least bit light and savory?"
Then it came to him. He would expand the manuscript he had written about the birth of Christ into a full novel, culminating at the crucifixion. The writing of the novel would serve as the prod for him to research the life of Christ.
Lew worked on his novel for six years. During much of that time he served as governor of the territory of New Mexico. By day he dealt with frontier lawlessness, Indian uprisings, and an outlaw named William Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid. By night he wrote by candlelight into the wee hours, alone in a large chamber, shut off from the world around him, engrossed in his labor of love.
"The ghosts, if they were ever about, did not disturb me; yet in the hush of that gloomy harborage I beheld the crucifixion, and strove to write what I beheld….And long before I was through with my book, I became a believer in God and Christ."
Lew submitted his completed novel for publication. The subject matter didn't appear well suited for wide sales, yet due to Lew's former success as a novelist, and because of his war record, the publisher decided to take a chance. For a year his book sold sparingly and appeared ready to be taken from the shelves. But suddenly sales began to pick up as word of its inspiration got around. It went on to become one of the best-selling novels of all time, was made into a Broadway stage play, and then four different times into a Hollywood movie. The forth was released on August 12, 2016.
Thus, from a "chance" meeting with a man determined to do all he could to destroy the Christian faith came the novel "Ben Hur" that brought General Lew Wallace and countless others to faith in Christ. What one man meant for evil, God meant for good.


Anyone have a good procedure for replacing the oil pan gasket. Got under it today and couldn't reach all of the bolts with the Frame right below the middle of the pan. I'm sure I could get it out by removing the fan shroud and a couple of tubes and but I can't get to some of the bolts.
P.S. for whoever asked. I am in Maricopa, AZ. About 20 minutes south of Phoenix west of the I10.
If you don't have room to scrape the old one off of the pan and block, I would just remove the fan shroud and motor mount bolts. Then carefully jack the engine up enough to put some hardwood spacers between the frame and motor mounts. There should be enough room. And you may need to customize a 7/16 socket and combo wrench. We had to make tools work quite often at Aamco and sometimes all the bolts never made it back into those areas. I wouldn't advise leaving out any pan bolts.
And like valve covers, a ball peen hammer was handy when it came to putting a little low spot on the mating surface for extra "pull" when tightening the pan or cover down.
another day. Are the gaskets still cork? Haven't put a pan on since 1981.
Raise engine until it hits tunnel.
Excellent! Hope I never have to do it.
And you have the added bonus of being able to tap each hole down with a ball peen.
You forgot the rope seal.


The best source for marriage advice? Divorce attorneys. Before you protest, just think about it: Every day at work they see the types of marital problems that lead otherwise happy couples to split up.
With that in mind, we recently asked 11 family law attorneys to volunteer their best love and relationship advice. See what they had to say below.
1. A sustainable marriage is not about love, it's about tolerance.
2. Give your spouse the benefit of the doubt.
3. Don't be afraid to feed your spouse's ego now and then.
4. Put your spouse before your kids.
5. Don't wait until it's too late to work on your marriage.
6. When you need to discuss something important, timing iseverything.
7. Know that you can't change your partner.
8. Love is about the little things.
9. Communication really is the cornerstone of every solid relationship.
10. Be an active listener.
11. Marriage doesn't get easier the second or third time around.
When I was a mama of three very tiny, very messy, very beautiful rug rats, we had DAYS THAT WENT ON FOR LIFETIMES.
Craig left at 6:00 am every morning and as I watched his showered, ironed self leave the house I felt incredibly blessed and thrilled to have so much time alone with my babies and incredibly terrified and bitter to have so much time alone with my babies.
If you don't believe that all of those feelings can exist at once—well, you've never been a parent to many tiny, messy, beautiful rug rats.
This question was like a spotlight pointed directly at the chasm between his experience of a "DAY" and my experience of a "DAY." How was my day?
The question would linger in the air for a moment while I stared at Craig and the baby shoved her hand in my mouth like they do—while the oldest screamed MOMMY I NEED HELP POOING from the bathroom and the middle one cried in the corner because I NEVER EVER EVER let her drink the dishwasher detergent. NOT EVER EVEN ONCE, MOMMY!!!
And I'd look down at my spaghetti stained pajama top, unwashed hair, and gorgeous baby on my hip—and my eyes would wander around the room, pausing to notice the toys peppering the floor and the kids' stunning new art on the fridge . . .
And I'd want to say: How was my day?
Today has been a lifetime.
It was the best of times and the worst of times. There were moments when my heart was so full I thought I might explode, and there were other moments when my senses were under such intense assault that I was CERTAIN I'd explode.
I was both lonely and absolutely desperate to be alone.
I was saturated—just BOMBARDED with touch and then the second I put down this baby I yearned to smell her sweet skin again.
I was simultaneously bored out of my skull and completely overwhelmed with so much to do.
Today was too much and not enough. It was loud and silent. It was brutal and beautiful. I was at my very best today and then, just a moment later, at my very worst.
At 3:30 today I decided that we should adopt four more children, and then at 3:35 I decided that we should give up the kids we already have for adoption.
Husband—when your day is completely and totally dependent upon the moods and needs and schedules of tiny, messy, beautiful rug rats your day is ALL OF THE THINGS and NONE OF THE THINGS, sometimes within the same three minute period.
This is not a complaint, so don't try to FIX IT.
I wouldn't have my day Any.Other.Way. I'm just saying—it's a hell of a hard thing to explain—an entire day with lots of babies.
But I'd be too tired to say all of that. So I'd just cry, or yell, or smile and say "fine," and then hand the baby over and run to Target to wander aisles aimlessly, because that's all I ever really wanted.
But I'd be a little sad because love is about really being seen and known and I wasn't being seen or known then. Everything was really hard to explain. It made me lonely.
So we went to therapy, like we do.
Through therapy, we learned to ask each other better questions. We learned that if we really want to know our people, if we really care to know them—we need to ask them better questions and then really listen to their answers.
If we don't want throw away answers, we can't ask throw away questions. A caring question is a key that will unlock a room inside the person you love.
So Craig and I don't ask "how was your day?" anymore.
I know. WEEEEEIRRD at first. But not after a while. Not any weirder than asking the same damn empty questions you've always asked that elicit the same damn empty answers you've always gotten.
And so now when our kids get home from school, we don't say: "How was your day?" Because they don't know. Their day was lots of things.
How did you feel during your spelling test?
And I never ask my friends: How are you?
Because they don't know either.
How is your mom's chemo going?
How'd that conference with Ben's teacher turn out?
What's going really well with work right now?
It's the thought behind them that the receiver really FEELS. We have to know the receiver to give the right gift and to ask the right question.
Generic gifts and questions are all right, but personal gifts and questions feel better. Love is specific, I think. It's an art. The more attention and time you give to your questions, the more beautiful the answers become.
If you would like help with your communication, please contact CornerStone Family Services at 614-459-3003 to set up an appointment with a counselor or coach.
Who is right? Is it an act of honor or act of hostility? Yes. It just depends if one filters it throughblue or pink.
Who is right? Is it an act of care or an act of contempt? Yes. It just depends on the pink and blueview.
Neither are wrong, just different. When we learn these differences, harmony can be presentbetween men and women.
If you would like help in communication, please contact CornerStone Family Services at 614-459-3003 to set up an appointment with a counselor or coach.
There are a number of health and lifestyle factors – obesity, smoking, air pollution – that are known to be risk factors for early mortality and receive considerable attention. New research has suggested that social connections should be added to this list, with a study finding loneliness and social isolation to be risk factors for all ages.
Psychologists from Brigham Young University in Provo, UT, discovered in a meta-analysis that loneliness and social isolation better predicted premature death among populations aged less than 65 years, despite older people being more likely to be lonely and having a higher mortality risk overall.
Previous research has demonstrated that social connections can have a positive influence on physical well-being as well as psychological and emotional well-being. Until now, no meta-analysis had been conducted where the effect of social isolation and loneliness on mortality has been the focus.
Although the two terms sound similar, loneliness and social isolation can be very different in appearance. An individual who is surrounded by lots of other people can still feel lonely while some people prefer to be alone and foster isolation from others.
Despite these differences, however, the study found that the effects on premature mortality were the same for both loneliness and social isolation.
For the study, the researchers analyzed data from 70 studies conducted between 1980 and 2014, featuring a total of over 3 million participants. The data included information regarding loneliness, social isolation and living alone.
After controlling for variables such as age, gender, socioeconomic status and pre-existing health conditions, the researchers found that social isolation was linked to an increased risk of premature mortality. Conversely, the presence of social relationships was found to have a positive influence on health.
The study did, however, utilize data from a narrow range of ages, with the majority of the data coming from older adults. The authors acknowledge that less than a quarter of the studies analyzed involved people with an average age of 59 or younger, and only 9% of studies involved participants younger than 50 at intake.
Due to advances in technology and the evolution of the Internet, it may seem as though people are closer together than ever before. However, the number of people feeling lonely appears to be on the rise.
Despite the limitations of the study, the authors believe that their findings justify raising a warning about increasing rates of social isolation.
Last year, Medical News Today reported on a study that found extreme loneliness can increase an older person's risk of premature death by 14%.
Feeling disconnected from friends, family, and people in general? Feeling like your relationships skim the surface but never go deep?
Try turning off your phone and stowing it out of site.
What phones do to in person conversation is a problem. Studies show that the mere presence of a phone on the table (even a phone turned off) changes what people talk about. If we think we might be interrupted, we keep conversations light, on topics of little controversy or consequence. And conversations with phones on the landscape block empathic connection. If two people are speaking and there is a phone on a nearby desk, each feels less connected to the other than when there is no phone present. Even a silent phone disconnects us.
So it is not surprising that in the past twenty years we have seen a 40 percent decline in the markers for empathy among college students, most of it within the past ten years. It is a trend that researchers link to the new presence of digital communications (p 21).
If you are feeling an interpersonal disconnect and would like to take steps to connecting in healthy ways, please contact CornerStone Family Services at 614-459-3003 to talk with a coach or counselor.
Here is a very cheesy pun for your Funday Friday humor. We just hope the humor doesn't grate you too much.
If you would like help adding some more humor and joy into your life, please contact CornerStone Family Services at 61-459-3003 to talk with a counselor or coach.
In His infinite wisdom, God gives us specific instructions in the latter section of Romans 12 on how to love a difficult person. His prescription for overcoming evil is direct: overcome evil with good (verse 21). The goal, then, in spite of the hurt we experience at the hands of others, is to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice and repay evil with good.
But what about revenge? Isn't that justified?
For help with your particular situation, please contact CornerStone Family Services at 614-459-3003 to talk with a coach or counselor.
The first week of being 25 was great with a few minor hiccups. It's been weird. Things have gone wrong but it leads to me being thankful for other things. Maybe I'm just an optimist but I don't regret anything, even things that caused the bad events.
Example: On Saturday night, my car was towed. It was 100% my fault because I didn't check the time that the lot was going to close but Saturday was so fun! It was awesome hanging out with people and such a wonderful day overall that nothing was going to drag me down. When I found out and didn't have a car, no one so much as hesitated to help me out. Everyone I am surrounded by is always willing to be there for me in every capacity.
I feel as though it's unfair for me to be anything but happy. With people who are always there for me, it doesn't matter what happens. I am surrounded by great people. The Lord has provided such an amazing support system for me.
Looking at this post, it's so strange to type this. I'm really happy that I'm able to type this but these past two years have been rough. Back at that point of my life, It was almost like I was too tired to have this attitude. I was tired, unmotivated, and pretty consistently down in the dumps. I'm so happy I can be back to my old temperament; my carefree, sing in the car, laughing at nearly anything, constantly smiling, finding the silver lining attitude.
Although looking back, I can't believe it took so much to get me to see a therapist. Even after I lost my a little bit of my uppity attitude, I had to sink so low to the point where I didn't even have motivation to hang out with my friends (and I'm 90% extroverted) or work on anything that would lead to future goals. I don't even know if I had goals at that point. I felt like everything was hopeless and at one point, I was so sure I would rather be in a coma than have to deal with life. It started becoming so bad that I would literally pray to get into a car crash (I didn't explicitly try to though, I was too scared for that). At one point, I was I was skipping so many meals a day that sometimes I would go to bed light headed and wondering if I would even wake up in the morning. Other days, I would just drink until I didn't feel guilty about my actions or laziness.
I don't think people knew how bad it was because whenever people would ask about how I was doing, there was the automatic response of "fine". I was perfectly okay with putting on a front when I was with people for a long time. But at one point it was just too tiring. It made me dread going out with people and I would actually choose laying on the floor rather than being with friends. Now I finally have found a counselor and something to help my depression and anxiety but why did it take me so long? I was scared because I couldn't find the positives anymore. I didn't know what was wrong with me.
I don't think I should've tried to hide it for so long. I know I can confide in my friends, there's something about weakness though. It's scary to show people your weakness and I guess that's why I'm finally typing this out. A lot of times, people try to come off as if they have the perfect life but no one's life is perfect. You can be optimistic but you shouldn't live in denial. People should be honest and feel like they can turn to one another with their problems, especially their family (church included). That's one thing that stressed me out, no one went through things like this. I couldn't tell people how I felt because who would understand? But I'm starting to see that I have so many friends who I know will stand behind me. Everyone has weaknesses. It's just about using your surrounding to overcome them and for me that was feeling comfortable to talk to my friends about things weighing me down.
Wowzers this is scary to post. It's so scary to even think about being at that low of a point. I'm just so thankful that the Lord kept me, was faithful, and that I'm back to me.
Well, here it is, a real look into my weakest point.
If you or someone you know is struggling like the author of this article, we encourage you to take the same courageous step to seek out the help of a professional counselor to help walk with you as you take an honest look at life and to rediscover hope and joy. Please contact CornerStone Family Services at 614-459-3003 to set up an appointment.
If you would like help or enrichment in your marriage in the areas of love and respect, please contact CornerStone Family Services at 614-459-3003 to set up an appointment with a counselor or coach.


What's one law or regulation you would like repealed?
When Senate President Larry Obhof (R-Medina) gaveled in the 132nd General Assembly in January, he challenged his caucus to "pick a law that isn't working as intended and try to repeal it or reduce its scope". Instead of just passing new laws and adding to the Ohio Revised Code, President Obhof and his colleagues want to take steps to reduce the size of Ohio's laws.
As the state's leading business advocate and resource, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce knows all too well that burdensome laws and regulations can damage a state's economic competitiveness and inhibit the ability of companies to put Ohioans to work. That's why Sen. Obhof has also reached out to us, asking us to gather recommendations from Ohio Chamber members.
For this reason we have set up an action alert on the Ohio Chamber website where you can share a law or regulation that you think should be repealed. Click here to make your voice heard.


Effects of infection with two different strains of equine herpes virus type 1 (EHV-1; Piber 178/83, Kentucky D) on the cytoskeleton of Vero cells were investigated immunohistochemically, and evaluated by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Twenty four hours post EHV-1 infection the assembly of the microtubulus system of Vero cells was heavily disturbed. The Golgi region was dispersed into vesicles spread throughout the cytoplasm as demonstrated by WGA lectin binding. Other cytoskeletal elements such as cytokeratin, vimentin, and filamentous actin (F-actin) were not affected by EHV-1 infection. The nature of Vero cell death after EHV-1 infection was investigated by three different methods to include all possible stages of apoptosis. All methods failed to demonstrate characteristic apoptotic features, therefore, it seems likely that necrosis is the predominant way of cell death in EHV-1 infected Vero cells.


STUDENTS DO NOT ENTER THE BUILDING FROM THE VESTIBULES UNTIL 7:45 A.M. WHEN THE BELL RINGS. IF IT IS RAINING, SNOWING OR EXTREMELY COLD, THE MAIN OFFICE WILL LET YOU IN AT 7:40 A.M.
We remind all parents NOT TO PARK IN or USE THE CUT OUT in front of the school from 2:30-3:15 pm! We service many students who use various means of transportation such as: buses, vans, etc. that need to pull in and out for pick-ups during that time.
Anyone entering the building must report to the Main Office, sign in and take a visitor's badge. No one will be allowed to walk through the halls without a visitor's badge. Also, no visitors should park in the back staff parking lot. It is strictly for staff only.
Per the Superintendent's directive, parents are asked that if your child forgets something, e.g. school materials, musical instruments, etc., you do not bring the item(s) to school but work with your child on remembering these items in the future. However, lunches can be dropped off in the coolers located in front of the Washington Pl. entrance. The coolers are labeled by grade. Remember to label your child's name on the lunch.
IMPORTANT: Any student who is late to school must come immediately to the Main Office and sign in and take a pass. Students are not to go to their lockers first. Again, it is imperative that students get to school on time but if that is not the case, they must follow the above procedure.
Reminder: DO NOT OPEN the Monroe St. door by Mrs. Feit's room. And also do not let ANYONE in.
will meet on Tuesdays each week in the new gym.
This week is the last opportunity to pre-order your autograph book for the author visit. Don't miss out. You are going to want one once you hear him.
Prisms Club will be meeting this Wednesday. Final submissions are due by May 11th. Let's get ready to publish.
Latin Club will be meeting this Thursday.
The Spirit and Service Club will have a brief meeting this Thursday after school in room 221. We will be planning our upcoming bake sale! Please see Ms. Shine or Mrs. McKinnon if you can't make it.
Brain Busters practice is this Thursday at 3:00 in room 320.


text:
La  du Tour d'Espagne 1998 a eu lieu le  entre Burgoset León. Elle a été remportée par Marcel Wüst.

Récit
Marcel Wüst remporte au sprint sa deuxième victoire d'étape ; le classement général ne subit aucun changement notable.

Classement de l'étape

Classement général

Notes et références

Voir aussi

Article connexe
 Tour d'Espagne 1998

Liens externes
  Le Tour d'Espagne 1998 sur le site officiel du Tour d'Espagne
  L'étape sur autobus.cyclingnews.com

17
1998-17
1998, 17

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Uganda Suspends Over 50 NGOs
Organizations like AFIEGO have been involved in the promotion of rights of people affected by the crude oil development project.
By Reuters	 On Aug 21, 2021
Uganda said on Friday it had suspended the operations of 54 non-governmental organisations, a move that one of the groups described as "political persecution".
The suspensions were ordered for a range of reasons, including non-compliance with regulations which require NGOs and other groups not to be involved in politics.
"We have halted their operations," Steve Okello, the chairman of the NGO Board, the state-run body that overseas all charities in the country, told Reuters.
The NGOs affected include charities whose work defending the rights of political activists and people affected by a crude oil production project in western Uganda has irritated some government officials. read more
President Yoweri Museveni's government has for several years been increasing pressure on NGOs, accusing some of them of backing the opposition.
"This is political persecution. When you do work that they don't like you become their enemy number No. 1. We'll challenge their decision in court," Dickens Kamugisha, head of Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO), told Reuters.
AFIEGO has been involved in the promotion of rights of people affected by the crude oil development project.
It and other charities have also been campaigning against the proposed East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project, citing its potential impact on the climate.
Last December, police detained a government critic and the head of Chapter Four Uganda, one of the NGOs suspended on Friday, on money laundering allegations.
The organisation dismissed the accusations, saying the arrest was part of a crackdown on dissent before elections next month. read more
Museveni, who has ruled the east African country since 1986, has long been accused by some Western governments, international pressure groups and local opposition of using security forces to intimidate and harass opponents, critics and rights activists.
The NGO Board said Chapter Four Uganda, and other NGOs which it said it had suspended indefinitely, had failed to file annual returns and audited books of accounts.
Chapter Four is a civil liberties watchdog that has often helped defend leaders and supporters of opposition parties detained on politically related charges.


Each Dalmatian Jasper Mini Crystal Ball is cleansed with sage and infused with a healing vibration.
The black spots within dalmatian jasper are black tourmaline, which gives this stone the energy of spiritual grounding and psychic protection. This is a powerful crystal of truth and clarity that helps you to move forward in life, discovering your true soul purpose.


If this is Monday, then it must be time for the Results post! Thanks to all who submitted to Microcosms 135. We had 14 entries this time. A warm welcome to first-time entrants, Jessica Matthew, Ramona, and Maya Levine.
Judging proved harder than I'd thought. I'm not the judging kind of person, or better I mostly keep my judgments to myself, being aware of the subjectivity, especially when creativity is concerned. Judging in a foreign language is even more difficult. You can't just pass through the stories. You have to spend time reading them again and again, or else you'll miss subtle meanings that you'd easily catch in your native tongue.
Well, it was fun after all. That's what's important. All entries surprised me, amused me, touched me in one way or another. So, congrats to all who wrote those wonderful stories!
Thank you all for making it so hard for me. And please, don't take me seriously. Take this contest seriously, but not me.
Bill Engleson – Some people are their own mystery. They just can't be with others.
Angelique Pacheco – We are sheltered from the outside but it's the inside that destroys us.
Stephanie Cornelius – It was a turning point, realising that just because a vampire decided he wanted her, it didn't mean she had to give in.
Jessica Matthews – If only I had known that those 15 minutes would change my life so drastically forever.
Tim Hayes – …I was looking for confirmation from an expert in the field of toilet humour before going into print.
Deanna Salser – …everyone milled around like children after the music stops during musical chairs.
Nikky Olivier – Hopefully this time she wouldn't hurt anyone.
Ramona – The eyes of the horse turned into red pinpricks fixing me. Just like laser pointers.
Maya Levine – If Miss Faustine got mad, then all of them might be written out of their stories.
Arthur Unk – The events of the next two-and-a-half seconds burned forever into his brain.
I love the idea of fictional characters sitting in a circle for group therapy, discussing their problems. It's those problems that put them in the stories in the first place, right?
Another meta-fictional story I enjoyed. The idea of Manic Pixie Dream Girls wondering whether they still serve the plot after they leave that role behind is intriguing.
I love the allegory about the emancipation of the girl. A coming-of-age story about a young girl who decides to put her needs first, in just 282 words. Well done!
A sad, haunting story, based only on dialogue, evoking strong emotions which stay with you long after you read it.
And now, without further ado, we present the winners of Microcosms 135.
That was another sad, incredibly well-written story. It grabbed my attention from the first line and made me want to see what happened. The gestures, the dimple, the facial expressions made Joe so vivid, that the plot twist in the end really came as a shock. The closure with Joe fading away broke my heart. Well done, writer!
Walking in, I could see I wasn't as late as I'd feared. Frowning, I glanced back to see that Mom hadn't driven away yet, and I wondered what her problem was. She hadn't said anything during the drive here, but I'd felt her eyes on me when I wasn't looking. Mentally shrugging my shoulders, I turned back just in time to catch Joe's blue gaze flashing my way. I threaded through the other teenagers still talking, and plopped down beside him, bumping his elbow with my own in greeting. He bumped back and I caught a brief glimpse of a dimple before he gained control of his face, and the bored expression reappeared.
Ms. Lee cleared her throat, and everyone milled around like children after the music stops during musical chairs. I kept catching everyone staring at me as she went around the circle greeting us each, as she checked us off her list. I thought it was odd she lingered on me, and did I imagine her smile looked a little sad? I glanced over at Joe to see him giving me the sideways. I frowned and gave it back, bringing back the dimple.
Joe was last and Ms. Lee glanced briefly in his direction, but didn't greet him. I opened my mouth, but Joe bumped my elbow, so I let it go.
As was his M.O., Joe was the last to share. I nudged his arm again as I turned my body towards him.
"Your turn," I said. He smiled wordlessly.
"Liz?" Ms. Lee's voice. I looked around at eighteen pairs of pitying eyes. "Joe died last night," she said gently.
"But…" I gestured. He shook his head, eyes sad.
And his apology resounded in my head as his form grew fuzzy around the edges and faded away.
Congratulations, Deanna. As Judge's Pick, you are invited to judge the next round of Microcosms this coming weekend. Please click HERE to let us know whether or not you are interested!
Oh my God, I sat and giggled for five minutes after reading this. With so many amazing stories, I can't believe mine was chosen. Thank you Mileva! This contest, and its participants, give me a reason to keep writing when I get discouraged by so many rejections.
Great job to everyone for all the amazing stories, they were so well done!
And congratulations, Deanna! Wonderful tale.
Thank you, Arianna! I love them all, everyone has such amazing minds!


The R4 is an interdisciplinary research group in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Our group is dedicated to advance risk-informed decision making methodologies for risk management of built-environment subjected to natural and man-made hazards.
We integrate fundamental knowledge of probability and statistics, structural engineering and decision science to better understand the catastrophes that involve structural damage and failure and to develop decision-aiding platforms for engineering projects that aim for resilient and sustainable built-infrastructure. Research in the R4 Group falls into one or more of the following categories: Hazard modeling, Damage modeling, and Decision modeling.


text:
Natural World Animal Behaviour
Watch: Cross-border bear battle destroys fence between Russia and China
By Ethan Shaw July 06 2020
It's not every day you see a bear rumble going down right along an international border. Well, count this as a special day, then:
The bruin brawl took place at the Russia-China line in the late evening of May 11. The trail camera that captured the event was one placed in the Russian Far East by the non-profit Amur Tiger Centre to monitor reintroduced Amur (or Siberian) tigers. Indeed, the very spot at the border fence where these Ussuri brown bears squared off has been used by a tigress called Lazovka to slip between the two countries (including in company with her cub). As the Centre rather poetically puts it, these were "bears fighting on the tiger paths."
We're not sure what kind of geopolitical symbolism or significance can be read into two burly beasts on opposite sides of an international boundary duking it out, but the short, fragmented clip is definitely dramatic: The contestants wreak some major damage on the fence – which follows the Amur (or, as it's called in China, the Black Dragon) River – in the process, paying no apparent heed to the incorporated barbed wire.
"Amur tigers have always walked here in peace and quiet," the Amur Tiger Centre team is quoted in a Siberian Times article on the bear fight, "yet the bears broke everything as soon as they came!"
It's not uncommon for researchers to find photos and footage of camera-destroying bears when checking their data. Photo: Viktor Kuzmenko/ The Amur Tiger Centre
A recent post by the Tiger Centre documenting its June reconnaissance of the region's camera traps related that a number of the cameras were damaged by curious bruins.
That Tiger Centre post notes its team isn't certain of the sex or age of the bears involved. Brown bears aren't considered strongly territorial, though much of the time they basically avoid one another; males (boars) tend to wander larger home ranges that overlap with several female (sow) ranges. Encounters with other bears are most frequent at major, localised food sources – fish runs, garbage dumps, animal carcasses, etc. – and during the breeding season, which typically runs from late spring into early summer. Even if they don't seem to actively defend territories, boars do tend to sort out a rough hierarchy amongst themselves, and when attempting to monopolise sows in heat – or squaring off over food – they occasionally come to blows, which can be violent and protracted.
Whatever the cause of the altercation in the Amur Tiger Centre's camera-trap footage – and whatever the outcome, which wasn't captured – it's certainly a stark demonstration of the belligerence and heavy-hitting power of brown bears, one of the planet's largest and most powerful carnivores. (We wouldn't want to have been that border fence, needless to say.)
It's also a reminder of the overlap in this special part of the world between the mighty brown bear and the Amur tiger, which shares the mantle of heftiest cat on Earth with the sleeker but similarly sized Royal Bengal tiger.
A tigress called Lazovka is known to use trails along the border to move between Russia and China. Photo: Viktor Kuzmenko/ The Amur Tiger Center
Tigers and bears have what you might call a complicated relationship: The big cats will prey on both Asiatic black bears and brown bears, though in the latter case the biggest male bears may well be off-limits; brown bears, meanwhile, sometimes trail tigers to scavenge their kills – or actively steal them. A 2011 review of interactions between Ussuri brown bears, Asiatic black bears, and Amur tigers in Russia's Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve recorded evidence both of tigers killing bears and bears killing tigers, and found that close to 17% of tiger kills were scavenged by bears, primarily browns. As the Tiger Centre notes, mutual avoidance is probably very often the name of the game when it comes to tigers and brown bears.
(And hey, if your appetite's been whetted for more trail-cam bear brawls, just check out this similarly nocturnal match – likely just a bit of rough play – between two American black bears in North Carolina from a few years back.)
Ethan Shaw
Ethan Shaw is a naturalist and freelance writer hailing from Wisconsin and based in Oregon. He's fascinated by natural history of all stripes, with special interests in landscape ecology, historical ecology, biogeography and wilderness. Follow him @CutoffMountain. VIEW more from this CONTRIBUTOR
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